You Can't Make This Stuff Up!

February 2005

Thursday, February 24, 2005

The Washington Times reports that a study by two Columbia University professors and the Center for Immigration Studies finds that the net effect of immigration to the United States is a drain on U.S. native workers of about $70 billion per year:

The authors argue that the United States has a strong technological advantage over other nations and immigrants who come to this country to work have access to that technology, making them more competitive with native workers than they otherwise would be. In addition, the fact that immigrants are not living overseas and consuming American workers' products also hurts U.S. exports.

Together, those factors created a $68 billion net loss to native workers in 2002, according to Donald R. Davis and David E. Weinstein, both economics professors at Columbia University.

This finding is counter to the common wisdom that there is positive economic benefit from immigration.

Fox News reports that President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin are embracing new measures to combat nuclear terrorism and better safeguard nuclear arsenals:

Administration officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Bush and Putin will announce an agreement that will include a promise to upgrade security at Russia's nuclear plants and weapons stockpiles, new procedures for responding to possible terrorist attacks and a program to keep nuclear fuel from being diverted to use in nuclear weapons.

Good news indeed, especially in light of a recent U.S. intelligence report warning that Russian nuclear material could still fall into terrorist hands. Then there is CIA Director Porter J. Goss' Congressional testimony last week when Goss said he could not rule out the possibility that Russian nuclear material has made its way into terrorist hands.

The Washington Post reports that the planned agreement would accelerate security upgrades at Russia's many poorly protected nuclear facilities, jointly develop emergency responses to a nuclear or radiological terrorist attack, and establish a program to replace highly enriched uranium in research reactors around the world to prevent it from being used for weapons:

"We're trying to demonstrate that we can make progress and move forward despite these other issues," a senior Bush administration official said. Securing Russian nuclear material remains at the top of the U.S. agenda with Moscow, the official said, and the Bratislava agreement is intended to "get better control over things to avoid the possibility that things fall into the wrong hands."

The Associated Press, via USA Today, reports that Pope John Paul II was rushed to the hospital Thursday after suffering a relapse of the flu:

The 84-year-old pontiff was taken to Gemelli Polyclinic hospital after the return of flu symptoms Wednesday. He was hospitalized for "necessary specialized assistance and further tests," papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said.

The Vatican said the pope was taken to the clinic at 10:45 a.m. The Vatican played down the seriousness of the hospitalization, saying a patient of the pope's age is always at risk from the flu.

According to Reuters, The Pope was taken to Rome's Gemelli hospital for "specialist treatment and further checks:"

He spent 10 days in the Gemelli earlier this month after suffering an acute breathing problem brought on by a bout of influenza. He returned home on Feb. 10 and the Vatican had previously said he was making a steady recovery.

"He had the same symptoms as last time, including fever and some breathing difficulties," a church source said, adding that an official medical bulletin was not expected until Friday morning

U.S. News & World Report has a fascinating article written by Julian E. Barnes about General John Abizaid's views on the war against terrorism. As the Commander, U.S. Central Command General Abizaid is responsible for the war effort from Somalia to Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Abizaid believes that the radical Islamists must be confronted:

"What we can't allow to happen is guys like Abu Musab Zarqawi to get started," Abizaid told Benoit and the soldiers of the 1-141 Field Artillery. "It's the same way that we turned our back when Hitler was getting going and Lenin was getting going. You just cannot turn your back on these types of people. You have to stand up and fight."

[. . .]

America has a chance to confront and stop an Islamic extremist movement akin to fascism or communism in its early stages, the general believes, before it metastasizes and dominates a significant chunk of the world.

[. . .]

We didn't have the guts to get out in front of the fascists or the Bolsheviks. This time we have to get in front. This time we have a chance. If we don't fight this fight here, we will fight it at home.

General Abizaid argues the military must focus on the followers of the extremist Islamic fascism preached by Zarqawi or al Qaeda.

"There are all kinds of complexities," the general says. "But . . . the point is, there is a main enemy in the theater, and it is al Qaeda-inspired, [with an] ideological desire to dominate the region."

[. . .]

"Al Anbar province is the place where we can demonstrate that the insurgency can be defeated," Abizaid says, "that it can be defeated everywhere."

This explains the importance of Operation River Blitz.

General Abizaid agrees that over time extremists will be beaten back through the spread of democratic reforms and the Iraqi elections may represent a strategic turning point:

"I think what we have to be wary of is trying to impose an American solution on a part of the world that may not necessarily be ready for an American solution," he says. But, he adds, even countries like Saudi Arabia are beginning to change: "While a lot of people say you will never get reform in Saudi Arabia, they fully recognize they need to have reform. But it needs to be reform on their terms within their cultural . . . limits."

This is a hard concept to grasp. Many of us expected to see a Jeffersonian democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq. That was unrealistic.

Recognizing that it is ultimately up to the Iraqis to defeat the insurgency, the Associated Press reports the Marines display a sign quoting Lawrence of Arabia:

"Better the Arabs do it tolerably than you do it perfectly," it reads in part. "It is their war, and you are to help them, not to win it for them . . . . "

Sunday, February 20, 2005

Reuters reports that U.S. Marines and Iraqi troops set up checkpoints and imposed a curfew on the Sunni city of Ramadi on Sunday:

"Operation River Blitz is designed to target insurgents and terrorists who have attempted to destabilize the Anbar province by terrorizing the populace through wanton acts of violence and intimidation," the U.S. military said in a statement.

"We were asked by the Iraqi government to increase our security operations in the city to locate, isolate and defeat anti-Iraqi forces and terrorists," said Major General Richard Natonski, commander of the 1st Marines expeditionary force.

Natonski described the militants in Ramadi as "intent on preventing a peaceful transition of power between the interim Iraqi government and the Iraqi transitional government," which is now being formed following the Jan. 30 election.

This operation should at least force the bad guys on the road making it more difficult for them to launch their terrorist attacks.

Friday, February 18, 2005

The Associated Press reports that a powerful earthquake rocked eastern Indonesia on Saturday. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage:

The U.S. Geological Survey (search) said the quake measured magnitude 6.5 and was not related to the massive magnitude-9.0 quake that hit western Indonesia on Dec. 26, triggering a tsunami that killed tens of thousands across southern Asian and eastern Africa.

Jakarta's El-Shinta radio reported that residents fled their homes Saturday in panic in Bau Bau, fearing another tsunami. However, officials told the radio station that there was no possibility of a tsunami from Saturday's quake.

Thursday, February 17, 2005

Reuters reports that Iraq's electoral commission certified the results of the country's January 30 elections. The United Iraqi Alliance was allocated 140 seats giving them a slim majority in the 275-seat National Assembly.

A combined Kurdish bloc was allocated 75 seats and the list led by interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi won 40 seats, the Electoral Commission said.

Because a number of Parties which failed to muster enough votes to gain any seats, those parties that were elected to parliament have a larger share of seats than their share of the vote.

The Associated Press reports that Gen. Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as “Chemical Ali,” was involved in the massacre of at least 34 Shiite men in the southern city of Basra in 1999:

Human Rights Watch obtained a handwritten list that named 120 young men who were executed from March to May 1999 for taking part in protests over the assassination of Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr, a senior Shiite cleric.

The remains of 34 men were found in a mass grave in May 2003, and family members have identified 29 of them.

Among the documents the group found is an apparent execution list, which names 120 men who were executed by the “order of the Commander of the Southern Sector,” a post held by al-Majid at the time.

Whereas Iraq persists in violating resolutions of the United Nations Security Council by continuing to engage in brutal repression of its civilian population thereby threatening international peace and security in the region, by refusing to release, repatriate, or account for non-Iraqi citizens wrongfully detained by Iraq, including an American serviceman, and by failing to return property wrongfully seized by Iraq from Kuwait.

I can't wait until Chemical Ali and the rest of Saddam's thugs go on trial.

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Reuters reports that an unknown aircraft fired a missile on Wednesday in a deserted area near 's southern port city of Dailam in Bushehr province, where the country has a nuclear power plant:

"A powerful explosion was heard this morning on the outskirts of Dailam in the Bushehr province. Witnesses said that the missile was fired from an unknown plane 20 km (12 miles) from the city," 's Arabic language Al-Alam said.

[. . .]

's Russian-built 1,000-megawatt nuclear reactor, its only nuclear power plant, is due to start operating in Bushehr province in late 2005.

I certainly hope we hear more about this. Perhaps it is more evidence to support Dave Schuler's theory that we may we may already be at war with . Or it may be nothing at all. But with all the reports about goings on in it bears watching.

UPDATE: The Associated Press reports that the explosion may have been caused by a fuel tank dropping from an ian plane. A spokesman for 's Interior Ministry said the blast was heard minutes after an ian airplane flew over the city and had not been caused by a hostile attack.